Schalke 0-3 Chelsea FC – Highlights, Mourinho Comments And Statistics

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Schalke 04 v Chelsea FC –

Final Score/Result: Schalke 0-3 Chelsea

Man Of The Match: Fernando Torres

Chelsea FC took control of their group with a convincing win against Schalke away from home.

The away side got off to a fantastic start as Fernando Torres scored his second goal in the Champions League season. It arrived from a Chelsea corner, which Schalke defenders failed to clear and the ball managed to reach Torres, who was free at the far post. The Spaniard headed the ball in from close range to provide Chelsea with the lead.

Schalke recovered from the early shock and dominated possession for most of the first half. Chelsea on the other hand, sat back and looked dangerous on the counter attack. Then London side finally extended their lead in the second half as Fernando Torres scored his brace. That goal was mostly created by the determination and ability of Oscar, who took on his defender and showed great awareness to set up Torres. The Spaniard’s first touch took the keeper out of equation and he virtually slotted it home in an empty net.

Schalke failed to create too many clear cut opportunities despite pushing hard, instead it was Chelsea who found another goal right at the end. Eden Hazard ran nearly half a length of the pitch with the ball from another counter attack and calmly put it past Hildebrand. It was a classical performance from a Jose Mourinho side – soaking up pressure and then picking off teams on the break. Torres and Hazard are seemingly returning to their best, something which is sure to have a positive effect in the upcoming fixtures.

Jens Keller was disappointed with the result and rued the limited opportunities that his side failed to take.

“It was very unfortunate to concede the first goal from a set piece. Nonetheless, we tried to get back into the game and created a few chances of our own. We should have taken one of these opportunities, as you don’t get that many against a quality side like Chelsea. We conceded two counterattacks in the second half which Chelsea executed perfectly.

“However, the result doesn’t reflect the run of the game. Towards the end of the match it was noticeable that some of our players were starting to tire. That obviously makes it even more difficult to try and launch a comeback against a team like Chelsea.” – said Schalke manager Jens Keller.

Jose Mourinho on the other hand was delighted with his side’s performance and the way they have bounced back after losing their match against Basel. He also heaped a lot of praise on Fernando Torres for his hard work and professionalism.

“It was an important victory for us. I told the players after the Basel match that the performance was garbage and we had to correct it – and we have with two consecutive victories away from home. Now we are in good condition to qualify and we can think about finishing first in the group.

“Fernando [Torres] played very well today. He’s a hard worker. He’s not the kind of guy to hide behind the fee that Chelsea paid for him. Even when he’s not performing very well, he always maintains his professionalism. And since I’ve arrived, he’s always been positive. He’s a player I respect and trust.” – The Chelsea manager told the press.

Schalke v Chelsea – Statistics

Fernando Torres has had a stop start season. He performed welcome in the match against Tottenham before getting sent off. The former Liverpool striker looked back to his best against Schalke once again. His pace, directness, movement and hold up play was a treat to watch. The Spaniard will now hope to carry his goal scoring form in Europe to the Premier League as well. The above heat map shows his movement and positioning on the pitch against Schalke, where he ended up with a wonderful brace.